County judge cites opposition to raises for elected officials

County Judge Tom Head said Thursday that he opposes the proposed elected officials' salary increases, which would give those sitting beside him on the Commissioners Court 20 percent pay raises.

"I have gotten a number of telephone calls and e-mails concerning elected officials' salaries," he said, and the messages all opposed the proposed increases, Head said. "That concerns me a little bit.

"I'm not for raising (elected official) salaries. They probably need and deserve it. Besides being a budgetary issue, it's a political issue," he said. "Raising everybody's salary that much is just not in line with my philosophy."

Commissioners will set elected officials' salaries Monday.

If commissioners approve the raises Monday, Sheriff David Gutierrez will see an increase of 22 percent to $75,000 a year. Commissioners' salaries will increase nearly 20 percent from $42,666 to $51,000.

The proposed salary increases were recommended by the county's personnel committee, which based its recommendations on a survey of Texas counties with populations similar in size to Lubbock.

The comparison, however, fails to take into account the tax revenue generated in those counties. The property tax levy for the counties compared with Lubbock averages more than twice Lubbock's property tax income, which is $14.5 million.

Mandy Mantooth, the county's director of human resources, points out that the tax data does not include income from sales taxes or other revenue streams. Sales tax revenue in Lubbock County roughly equals its property tax income.

"I don't know that you can measure apples to apples on revenue. Looking at the population helps you look at how much work is generated," she said.

Regional dynamics also make it difficult to find a true comparison among counties, Mantooth said.

"If you pick that study apart, it's hard to find any apple," she said.

The Avalanche-Journal studied counties with similar property tax revenue and found that Lubbock County's elected positions, with the exception of the county treasurer, pay at or above that average.

Head said he believes the personnel committee analysis is a fair comparison, but "I think that a lot of things need to be taken into consideration."

The cost of living in the counties compared needs to be considered, he said.

Elected officials' salaries may not be the only ones on the rise at the courthouse.

Salaries for entry-level clerks range from $12,000 to $21,210, the lowest range in the county. The proposal would increase that range from $15,300 to $22,695. The county employs 67 entry-level clerks, according to this fiscal year's budget.

"I think the minimums on the entry clerical positions are a little too low," County Auditor Lawrence Jones said.

The plan also calls for a 3.5 percent increase in overall personnel funding for county departments. Department heads will then divvy up the money to employees.

Dirk Fillpot can be contacted at 766-8727 or dfillpot@lubbockonline.com